Umar Dzambekov Is Ready To Introduce Himself

Many fight for money in order to support themselves and their families. Many fight for the glory, to win titles and collect accolades. And many fight for respect and recognition. Umar Dzambekov is one fighter who definitely falls into the latter category.

The undefeated Austrian has already made a strong start to his professional boxing career, with an unblemished 13-0 record, with nine of those wins coming via knockout. 

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The 23-year-old southpaw has shown great promise in his early performances, but now he’s ready to take his career to the next level with Zuffa Boxing, where he hopes to introduce himself to a new, larger audience and prove his worth as a rising star of the 175-pound division.

When asked about his motivation behind signing with Zuffa Boxing, Dzambekov cited the chance to grow his profile as a major pull factor.

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“I’d say the audience definitely, so more people see me (and) watch me fight,” he explained.

“Nowadays, especially with social media and all that, people get to know you better, and that way they can see, ‘Hey, what he's capable of,’ or ‘How good he is.’. There can be so many fighters out there. They're good, but if they're not really known, it's tough.”

Dzambekov fell into boxing almost automatically. His father was a boxer, and he just followed in his dad’s footsteps. It’s a journey that has been his life’s work so far.

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“I don't even remember a point where I was not boxing (or whether) I would have chosen something else or not, I have no idea, to be honest,” he admitted.

“But yeah, I'm here. I started enjoying the trip after probably I turned like 14, 15, and realized what I'm capable of, and what kind of skills I’ve got. And here I am. I'm 28 now, and had over 100-something amateur fights, 13 pro fights. I'm ranked high at the top, and signed with Zuffa. Can't be better. The only thing I’ve got to do is more work – that's it.”

That crucial point came when Dzambekov was in his mid-teens, when he realized that he had the skills that could see him carve out a career in the sport. Being in that competitive environment then pushed him to new levels, as he has steadily improved his game.

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“What made me realize that I can make do something out of it was when I started winning over and over again, winning the nationals, being good at it,” he recalled.

“People (were) telling me, approving my skills, and yeah, then I met people from different countries, who'd been at the Olympics, who’d been world champions, and that motivated me. I'm like, ‘Hey, they can do it. So can I. I’ve just got to work hard.’ That's everywhere in life. When I met someone who was successful, they always told me to work hard, and that's my philosophy.”

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Dzambekov’s first Zuffa Boxing assignment comes Sunday night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, where he’ll take on Vegas-based Ahmed Elbiali in a light heavyweight co-main event matchup. The 35-year-old Cairo-born fighter, known as “The American Pharoah” has a 24-1 record that includes 19 knockouts, and Dzambekov is excited to test his skills against an older, more experienced opponent.

“He’s a great fighter. He's experienced, tough guy. And I look forward to being in the ring with him on Sunday night.

“I want to show my skills – speed, power, and movement.”

Sunday night will be the second 10-round assignment in a row for Dzambekov, and while he didn’t need to showcase his conditioning and staying power over the full distance last time out, he’s confident in his preparation ahead of his bout with Elbiali.

“Well, for my last fight, I don't know, because from a 10-round fight I won in the second!” he laughed.

“I’m not complaining – that was good for me, but from the training camp, you always got to know to pace yourself. You’ve got enough time. It’s not like in the amateurs, where you’ve only got three rounds. You’ve got 10 rounds. The sparring, the preparation, everything is longer, so you get the feeling and the experience. And with my second 10-round fight coming up, I’m getting that experience, and I feel great.”

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Dzambekov knows his skills will do the talking when he’s in the ring, but he’s also keen to show that he can be successful in the ring while also carrying himself appropriately and showing good character as a sportsman.

“I hope they learn that actually, I'm a very authentic person,” he said.

“I don't like to do much stupid stuff. I just want to be who I am (and) perform good, because that's what I've learned my whole life, and be victorious. Work hard, be disciplined – that’s one of my very important philosophies.”